Welcome! Please use the navigational links to explore our website.
PartsASAP LogoCompany Logo (800) 853-2651

Shop Now

   Allis Chalmers Case Farmall IH Ford 8N,9N,2N Ford
   Ferguson John Deere Massey Ferguson Minn. Moline Oliver

Attention Forum Users: On the 28th of December 2023 at 9:00am Central Time, we will be taking the forums down for maintenance while we prepare the new forums for your use. Please click here for more information.

Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Implements for 3 acres pasture and...?

Welcome Guest, Log in or Register
Author 
wsimpson

12-28-2007 08:00:18




Report to Moderator

Acreage is cross-fenced into 1/2 acre plots of natural grass. Will have two horses this spring and would like to maximize tillable ground to support them (hay, alfalfa, etc.), plus grow a 1/2 acre of garlic, small wildlife food plot in the grove and 600 sq. ft. vegetable garden.

I have a '67 JD 4020 Gas (90HP) with 3-pt quick hitch. I also have a 4x4 ATV. What implements would ya'll recommend if you were just getting started?

Thanks...

[Log in to Reply]   [No Email]
wsimpson

12-30-2007 05:39:52




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
Whoa, let's not jump to any conclusions based on such little information. To provide a little more perspective, I have additional acreage other than farm-proper and access to others. I also have permission to cut and bale ditch grass, if desired. I already have a 14T small square baler that serves its purpose.

I have a JD (GT110?) riding mower with a 42" deck for maintaining the the house and outbuildings, but it takes over 3 hours to completely mow and is not very efficient in the ditch. I considered a trail/finish mower behind the ATV but since I have a couple of other farm-related AG projects, I thought I would get opinions from others in a similar situation.

Thanks...

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Spook

12-29-2007 11:25:44




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
BTW - Don't get horses. I did, had them 20 years. Big PIA. First thing to understand, they are not like a car or machine that you can not use for weeks or months and then get on and ride. If not ridden frequently, they regress in training, and are difficult to ride. Next, horses have to be taken care of daily. Lots of work, hauling crap. tons every year. Vacations mean somebody has to be found to care for them. Shelter can be expensive, vet bills averaged over $600 per year. Figure 2 horses cost about $6,000 per year here in Michigan. And you have a hard time giving the dammm things away. They can live 30+ years. Most horses around here are pasture pets, they are no longer ridden. One guy I know, his wife got a horse, a year later the horse kicked her, she never rode again. 27 YEARS later, the horse finally died, in his barn. It cost him $200 just to have the backhoe guy bury the darn thing. I helped him that day, he was laughing and grinning like he won the lottery. Said it was the best $200 he had ever spent.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
KY-N

12-29-2007 10:45:27




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
I have 12 acres but only about 3 that can be used for pasture. It is fenced into 3 sections that I rotate the 2 appalosa horses though every 5 to 6 weeks. That way each section has a rest period of 10 to 12 weeks, during that time I mow them with a finish mower set high to stimulate the grass growth and keep weeds down. Have never had a time of being short of grazing for them, in fact every year on the annual vet checkup he tells us we need to cut them back for they are carrying to much weight (they are easy keepers). I have never tried or intend to try to raise hay on my place, always buy it from the neighbor who has more than enough for his horses and mine.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
sammyd

12-29-2007 01:59:13




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
Sell the 4020. Buy a nice lawnmower for the front lawn and maybe a weedeater for the ditches. Your hosres will take care of that 3 acres by themselves.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
paul

12-28-2007 21:44:51




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
Neighbor has 12 horses or so on maybe 5 acres of pasture - but he feeds a lot of hay all year long, & the pasture looks pretty poor. Where do you live, lot of rain, so the grass will grow well in summer? You could feed 2 horses on 3 acres for about 5 months of summer 'here' and do it well. Wouldn't have room for any other cropping tho.

Most folks want to run 20 acres with a 15 hp sub-compact diesel - you kinda went the other way, nice big tractor on a small plot of land. :) Can't do much in 1/2 acre with a 90 hp tractor, and you really just need to bushhog the weeds down a couple times & apply lime/ fertilizer every now & then to the pastures. You'll be buying hay, the small garden could use a walkbehind tiller.

So - maybe a whirly spinner to apply fert, a drag to even out the manure droppings, and a bush hog. You could do all that with a 25-40 hp tractor, little easier to manuver in small pastures.

It's fun or we wouldn't do any of it, right? :)

--->Paul

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Randy-IA

12-28-2007 17:47:49




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
Hi , I'm not a tried and true farmer but I have a small , small farm ( 13 acres - 6 acres hay , 4 acre pasture and 3 acre building site with just less than a acre as pasture there ) that my wife keeps 5 horses with . Question - what breed of horse ar3 you getting ? Some keep easier than others . I don't have the numbers memorized but horses need a set amount of forage per 1000 lbs of horse totaled ( four 500lb horses will eat as much as two 1000lb horses ) . I believe that amount is around twenty to thirty pounds of high quality dry matter per 1000lbs ( there's plenty of web sites to check on these figures so do some research ). My wife does all the horse keeping , I don't like horses much myself though I spent the better part of 40 years of my life with them . Anyway , some areas of the country can support more lbs of horse per acre than other areas . If you are going to grain them every day you can get by with a lower quality of hay . Most horses don't need the extreme high quality alfalfa , unless they are worked hard or shown , grass alone will do . As for the tractor , is there enough room to turn it around in that small of a paddock ? Making any kind of hay in a half acre paddock won't work with a tractor that big , I know I've tried it here with an eqivalent size tractor ( 1755 Oliver ) . That Oliver is even to big for six acres of hay . Keep that one for the heavy work and get a small antique tractor like a Farmall H or similar . Find one with a wide front for hay or you'll drive over every blade with the front wheels - BTDT too . As for hay implements a mounted or TPH 7' sickle bar mower ( I think they are more predictable and manueverable than a trailer type ) , a 7 foot side delivery rake and a good 14T baler from a farm auction will get the hay done . But my guess is just the same as the others - you won't have enough growth to make hay and use as pasture . As for tillage for the garden , get a rear tine walk behind tiller like a Troybuilt for a half acre or less . You can get many attachments that will make gardening a snap such as hillers for the garlic and corn , spring tine tillers for weed control , subsoilers and even blades for snow removal . Not as much fun as operating a tractor but much more practical . They make a lot of implements for the atv also so don't rule that out . Just some things to think about . Hope this helps some . Good luck ! ...Randy

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Allan In NE

12-28-2007 17:20:31




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
I don't wanna "pile on" neither, but 2 horses would have that entire 3 acres slicked up in about 10 days and then you'll be buyin feed for the darlin's.

Think ya just need a lawnmower and dump the ol' 4020 and for darned sure the horse idea.

Allan



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Spook

12-29-2007 10:47:52




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to Allan In NE, 12-28-2007 17:20:31  
Around here the zoning laws call for 5 acres per horse, 10 acres for 2, 10 or more acres, no limit. A lot of 10.10 or 10.3 acre plots as a result. I had horses for 20 years. I improved the pasture, about 5 acres for 2 horses. I never stopped feeding hay.



[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Dubv1980

12-28-2007 15:27:43




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
Not to pile on, but as someone who works in soil conservation, the rule of thumb for horses is one horse per three acres here in VA. With the intensive rotational grazing, you will see an improvement in grazing, but I don't think enough to have anything left over after the horses are done, and definitely not enough to cut any for hay. I would agree with the other folks, if you want to cut hay, find some acreage around you, and you may be suprised to find that people would be very happy to have you cut their fields...some people who have 3 acre fields..just want them mowed, and might let you cut them for hay. If you get a set up like that, I'd go with a sickle bar, a rake, and a baler...buy them used at auction so you don't have a huge investment up front, see how it goes, and then if you want to upgrade down the road, you'll be set.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
Superhank

12-28-2007 08:55:12




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
You are definitely low on acreage to accomplish some of your goals and your 4020(possibly the best ever made) is really more than you need but maybe you can rent adjacent acreage for hay (on shares). You will need a 4 bottom plow, 10 foot (at least) harrow spray rig and broad cast fertilizer. Some can be borrowed or hire the fertilizer done they will spead it. If you can rent another 20 to 40 acres you can keep busy.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
johns48jdb

12-28-2007 08:22:09




Report to Moderator
 Re: Implements for 3 acres pasture and...? in reply to wsimpson, 12-28-2007 08:00:18  
none. you don't have enough acreage to support the horses, much less cut hay from it and use it for gardening. i'd take out some of thew cross fencing and make it into 3 one acre plots and rotate the horses each week from one to the other. you might plant some thing in the grove for grazing, depending on how much shade you have. i'd just hire that much done, ecause the implements you need would be cost prohibited for that smal of an acreage.

[Log in to Reply]  [No Email]
[Options]  [Printer Friendly]  [Posting Help]  [Return to Forum]   [Log in to Reply]

Hop to:


TRACTOR PARTS TRACTOR MANUALS
We sell tractor parts!  We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]

Home  |  Forums


Copyright © 1997-2023 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters

Website Accessibility Policy